LANSING, Mich. — The state of Michigan and some private partners are taking steps toward building or assigning dedicated lanes for automated vehicles on a 40-mile stretch of highway between Detroit and Ann Arbor.

Organizers say the project would begin with a two-year study to figure out whether existing lanes or shoulders could be used or new lanes need to be built, and it would be the first of its kind in the U.S.

Eventually, autonomous buses and shuttles would run along the Interstate 94 corridor, linking the University of Michigan to Detroit Metropolitan Airport and the city’s downtown.

Ford is among nine autonomous vehicle and auto companies on an advisory board for the project.

Much of the project would be bankrolled by companies funded by Google parent Alphabet Inc., which hopes to make money by duplicating the technology for other large metro areas.

The project is being led by a company called Cavnue, which will start the study by running autonomous vehicles with human backup drivers along I-94 and U.S. 12 to collect data.