In May 2011 the US Coast Guard announced that it was conducting a Port Access Route Study of the entire East Coast of the United States and participation by interested parties was encouraged. It was critical that the Coast Guard received input from maritime stakeholders to determine whether existing and projected uses of the waterways, including the effects of new routeing measures, may have on users.

The study is necessary to determine if new routeing measures or changes to existing routeing measures were necessary to balance the multiple uses of the waterway, while ensuring the safety of navigation.