The project is designed to assess and evaluate the suitability of sites for the development of facilities to support waterborne transportation of people and freight in the New York metropolitan region. The study effort will be guided by a Steering Committee drawn from members of NYMTC's Program Finance and Administration Committee members.

The project consists of three major tasks. The first task is an analysis of relevant literature including an analysis of previous reports and studies conducted in the region. The literature review will be augmented through interviews with experts in the region to generate a preliminary set of screening criteria and help determine the thresholds that should be used to identify preferred locations based on their physical characteristics. The second task is the development of an interactive GIS-based scenario builder that will assist decision-makers in understanding how individual factors (such as prevailing land use patterns) as well as the relationship between factors (i.e., land uses, land values, and prevailing traffic flows) shape the criteria used to identify viable sites for development. The third task is to use agreed-upon assessment criteria to conduct a detailed analysis of no more than ten to twelve sites. Once the analysis of sites has been completed, the research team, working in close consultation with NYMTC staff and the steering committee will develop a prioritized list of sites suitable for development. Prioritization will be based on the growth potential of these sites, their role in the regional intermodal transportation system, expandability of the facilities, impacts of such development (e.g. environmental impacts, congestion), community acceptability, cost effectiveness, general public safety, as well as homeland security concerns.