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ALAMEDA -- The Water Emergency Transportation Authority has received a $3 million federal grant to build a ferry maintenance and operations facility at the former Alameda Naval Air Station.

The new facility would consolidate the transit agency's routine maintenance services for its central bay fleet, such as fueling and light repairs, provide offices for day-to-day management, and serve as an emergency operations center in the event of a regional emergency.

The U.S. Department of Transportation and Federal Transit Administration awarded the grant on Monday.

"The Central Bay Operations and Maintenance Facility will allow us to more efficiently and effectively maintain our growing fleet of commuter ferries, resulting in reduced maintenance costs and improved customer service," said Nina Rannells, executive director of WETA.

Along with floating berths for ferries, the project planned for the four-acre site at Ferry Point and West Hornet Avenue calls for a four-story building and a 13,500-square-foot yard, as well as an extension of the Bay Trail, according to a background prepared for the San Francisco Bay Conservation and Development Commission.