The Water Emergency Transportation Authority (WETA) was created by the California legislature in 2007 to consolidate and upgrade passenger ferry service on San Francisco Bay. WETA took over the Oakland-Alameda Ferry Service and the Vallejo Ferry Service. WETA has been planning two maintenance facilities for its ferry fleet, one in the Central Bay at Alameda Point and one in the North Bay at Mare Island in Vallejo.

The Alameda Point facility received approval from the city of Alameda in March of 2015, with the added provision that WETA provide a new haul out structure for the harbor seals that currently use their project site. Groundbreaking for the facility will be on September 15, 2016. The project will be the first new construction at Alameda Point and bring about 100 new jobs along with a new water line to the site and upgrades to the adjacent open space and trail. It was completed in 2018.

WETA’s website describes the project:

“The Central Bay Operations and Maintenance Facility project is being developed by WETA to provide a central San Francisco Bay base for WETA's ferry fleet. The facility will include an Operations Control Center, from which WETA would dispatch services, as well as manage day-to-day crew, vessel, and facility needs. The facility will also include an Emergency Operations Center, which would serve as a primary location for WETA to coordinate the provision of emergency transportation services in the event of a regional disaster.”

“The project would include construction of a multi-story building that would provide for WETA's operational needs such as light repair work, diesel fuel storage, spare parts storage, concession supply, administrative staff office space, records storage and deliveries. The facility will also include a system of floating docks and gangways that would provide daytime and overnight berthing capacity for up to 12 vessels. Each slip will be outfitted with equipment to deliver fuel and utility hook-ups to WETA vessels. A limited number of slips will be specially outfitted to meet regular vessel maintenance needs such as engine oil changes and life raft servicing.”

Read more on the Water Emergency Transportation Authority website.