Twelve Graduate students at Louisiana State University used various (individual) methods to select alternative by-pass routes for Interstate 49.

Scoring points were awarded (or subtracted) based on a Geographic "surface" that was placed under each students road alternative.   

The student with the best score, based on the least number of subsurface points (divided by the total linear feet of each road),  won the competition.  

The student bypass alternatives are shown in Purple, Dark Yellow, Dark Green, Dark Blue, and Violet.  Existing secondary roads are shown in Brown, and major arterial roads are seen as Light Green.

The alternative Interstate by-pass solutions are placed over a "point scoring" surface.

Darker color land areas are awarded more points than the lighter colored areas.  Darker areas are wetter soils with high shrinking and swelling characteristics.  Aqua colored areas are lakes and streams.

The number of acres in each point category are divided by the overall length of the Interstate by-pass for each alternative.  The three students with the least point scores were considered the "best" possible solutions.