The Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) designs, constructs, and maintains the state's surface transportation system. This includes not only roads and bridges but also the state's rail stations, bike paths and ferry service.
In 2016, with the passage of the sweeping RhodeWorks legislation, the department underwent a complete restructuring as mandated by the legislation. As part of this restructuring, RIDOT developed the first ever 10-year transportation plan for the state and has adopted unprecedented accountability measures. The $5 billion RhodeWorks program provides for the planning, execution, management and funding to bring Rhode Island's infrastructure into a state of good repair by the year 2025.
Accountability is a core value at RIDOT and we urge those interested in learning more about projects we are working on to view the latest edition of our Quarterly Report.
Robert (Bob) Rocchio was named Acting Director of the Rhode Island Department of Transportation (RIDOT) in February 2026 following the retirement announcement of Director Peter Alviti, Jr. Bob's former position was Chief Engineer for the Department.
A long-time employee of the department, Bob started working for RIDOT in 1991 as an intern in the Bridge Section. He then advanced to a full-time civil engineer in the planning division and then the design section. He served as the State Traffic and Safety Engineer in 2007 and was promoted to Chief Engineer in 2017.
In this capacity he oversaw Highway and Bridge Maintenance, Bridge Engineering, Office of Environmental Compliance, Office of Safety Section, Final Review Section, and the Fleet Operations Section – a total of 400 employees.
During his tenure, Bob was instrumental in implementing a comprehensive highway safety program that has resulted in reducing the number of highway fatalities in Rhode Island, completely revamping the maintenance section of RIDOT and upgrading its equipment, and improving the bridge inspection and maintenance function by putting in place best practices and designing specific inspection protocols for complex bridges.
He received his B.S. in civil engineering from the University of Rhode Island in 1992 and his license to be a professional engineer in Rhode Island. Bob lives in South Kingstown with his wife and daughter.