EDITORIAL: Questions for Alviti at State House Washington Bridge Hearing

EDITORIAL: Questions for Alviti at State House Washington Bridge Hearing

The first two legislative oversight hearings on the failure of the Washington Bridge were an embarrassment for the legislature — nothing was uncovered, there were no critical questions, there was no fact-finding, and at one of the hearings, one legislator asked about an issue relating to a bike path.

Thursday’s hearing is likely to be more of the same. Those in the know say the purpose of the hearing was to give cover for Senate President Val Lawson of East Providence, who bucked the effort of Speaker Joe Shekarchi to block a raise for RIDOT director Peter Alviti.

Yes, Lawson ensured that Alviti received his raise.

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Now on Thursday, Alviti is the only scheduled witness to appear at the State House hearing. As GoLocal has covered Alviti over the years, we thought the following questions should be asked and would help inform Rhode Islanders.

 

Question 1: Director Alviti, as GoLocal has uncovered, you have repeatedly lied about 6-10 Contamination in Olneyville, lied about nearly every aspect of the Washington Bridge, and lied about disclosure of cost overruns — why should we believe a word you say today?

 

Question 2: As GoLocal reported the night of the bridge’s closure, a report written by a leading bridge engineer from Connecticut warned the Rhode Island Department of Transportation that failure of the joints of the Washington Bridge was possible if specific action was not taken.

The report was submitted as part of a 2020 bid by the Cardi Corporation for the construction work to repair the bridge. The work was initially awarded to Cardi and then reassigned to Barletta Heavy Machine after legal fights. Why didn’t RIDOT review this warning?

 

Question 3: In 2018, RIDOT was doing work on the Washington Bridge, and the traffic became a political issue, so you reversed course and reopened the closed lanes. It was just weeks before the election. Who in the Raimondo administration told you to stop the construction?

 

Question 4: Before being named, when you were a mid-level union official and then as public works director in Cranston, how many bridges did you oversee the construction of?

 

Question 5: When your boss (your real boss) — Armand Sabitoni — tells you to jump, how high do you jump? READ "ORGANIZED INFLUENCE"

 

Question 6: How in God’s name do you still have a job?