ALAMEDA — The groundbreaking for the Water Emergency Transportation Authority’s $45 million operations and ferry maintenance center at the former U.S. Navy base in Alameda will take place Sept. 15.

Construction of the center, which will be located at Ferry Point Road and West Hornet Avenue near the USS Hornet Sea, Air & Space Museum, is expected to begin later this year and be completed in 2018.

The facility will be the future home of WETA’s central San Francisco Bay ferry fleet, providing a place to berth and maintain vessels that operate on its Alameda, Oakland and South San Francisco ferry routes, as well as those that will provide the future Richmond and Treasure Island service.

The center will include a 70-foot high four-story building with administrative and other offices, including for coordinating the water and ferry response following an earthquake or other emergency.

Across the street from the center will be a facility that can store up to 45,000 gallons of diesel fuel, or enough to keep WETA’s central bay fleet running for up to a week after a disaster.

Other parts of the project will include expanding the San Francisco Bay Trail, the construction of a shoreline viewing terrace, bicycle parking, interpretive signs, improved lighting, and landscaping and seating.

As part of preparation for building the center, a dilapidated pier that was a makeshift home for harbor seals was removed and replaced with a custom-built haul-out for the seals in July.

The future berthing slips will accommodate up to 12 ferries. Each slip will be outfitted with equipment to deliver fuel and utility hookups to WETA vessels, while some of the slips will be specially outfitted to provide for regular maintenance service, such as oil changes and life raft servicing.

Federal, state and regional funding, including through Proposition 1B, is paying for the project.

The groundbreaking ceremony will begin with light refreshments between 1:30 p.m. and 2 p.m. The program will take place between 2 to 3 p.m.

The groundbreaking comes as city of Alameda officials are hoping to secure a new ferry terminal at the nearby Seaplane Lagoon at the former Navy base, now known as Alameda Point.

Alameda Point Partners, a team of developers which is building housing, retail space and a waterfront park near the lagoon, has pledged $10 million toward the project.

A regional public transit agency, the Water Emergency Transportation Authority operates ferries on San Francisco Bay under the “San Francisco Bay Ferry” brand.

Reach Peter Hegarty at 510-748-1654 or follow him at Twitter.com/Peter_Hegarty.