Best Practice- Direct Technical Assistance
Kansas RTAP Program

The Kansas RTAP program is administered by the University of Kansas Transportation Research Institute, and Pat Weaver is the current RTAP Manager. Technical assistance in Kansas comes in the form of toolkits/handbooks, planning assistance, ‘white papers,’ facilitated meetings and answers to regulatory questions. During a State RTAP Managers’ Networking Webinar, Ms. Weaver highlighted some of the essential components of the Kansas RTAP technical assistance program: responsiveness, graduate research assistant involvement, multiple modes of delivery, and avoiding competition/overlap with consulting firms. The Kansas RTAP program focuses on ensuring that assistance and information is spread equitably throughout the state, and that solutions from one area are shared through fact sheets and newsletter articles. Ms. Weaver also reminded the audience that noRTAP program has to do it alone– she recommended that RTAP programs leverage resources from national, peer states, and peer communities.