Urban design students at the University of Saskatchewan are drafting up some original ideas for one of Saskatoon's most iconic landmarks.

The city closed down the rusting Traffic Bridge because of safety concerns in Aug. 2010.

The 106-year-old structure that connects the Nutana neighbourhood to downtown Saskatoon was the city's first bridge.

Students at the at the U of S want to bring it back in use.

Saskatoon's Traffic Bridge, the city's first bridge over the South Saskatchewan River, has been closed since 2010. (Daryl Mitchell/Wikipedia Commons)

The new ideas range from having a pedestrian-only bridge to putting up a zip-line and bungee jumping station.

"There's a lot of funding issues, there's a lot of infrastructure issues," said Michael Kowalchuk, an urban planning student

"So designing something that is great for the community, but that can actually be implemented properly financially would be fantastic."

The city says it will eventually replace the Traffic Bridge, but it estimates the cost will be about $30 million.

Last April, Saskatoon looked to the province and the federal government to help pay for a new bridge, but the province rejected the idea.

"It's a lot more than just a car moving bridge," said Charlie Clark, a Saskatoon city councillor. "It's a bridge that also defines the city in many ways. Even now, I still see it showing up on so many commercials and brochures. The things that people use to sort of define the city."

Before the Traffic Bridge was closed in 2010, about 7,000 vehicles used it each day to cross the South Saskatchewan River.