As the economy slips further into recession, some Nebraska residents are going back to school to learn how to manage in tough economic times.

Many of those students are passing up four-year institutions in favor of community colleges.

"It's affordable, quick and the classes are smaller," said Rob Kugler, a first year academic transfer student at Southeast Community College (SCC).

Kugler spent 18 months in Iraq and is just one of the new students studying at SCC.

If the city removes the bridge at 17th and Holdrege streets, which was closed in September, instead of rebuilding it, it could save the city $1.5 million in right-of-way and construction costs.

The bridge was closed on Sept. 17 because of "safety concerns" about its ability to safely handle its current traffic loads, according to a press release. The 72-year-old bridge has been inspected every two years, with its last full inspection in December 2007. It had previously received repairs in 1980.

Read the city's original press release here.

During a detailed inspection after its initial closure, a structural engineering company found the bridge's weathering and corrosion were worse than originally expected. Pieces were falling off when it was poked.

"When you get in there and start drilling holes and things start falling apart ... it's alarming," Public Works Director Greg MacLean told the Lincoln Journal Star.

Click here to listen to Andy Boyle's report on Nebraska's structurally deficient bridges.

With the current slow U.S. economy, students maybe worried about taking out loans. Craig Munier, director of Scholarships and Financial Aid at UNL, said that taking out loans is still an option.

"Scholarships and financial aid won't be taken away unless there are major cuts here at the university," Munier said.

Scholarships are the major leverage for enrollment at UNL. However, despite whispers of the university reassessing its budget, students are told not to worry. Munier said the university won't take money away from students who already have scholarships.