I-229 project results in new disc golf course, Robidoux Landing reconstruction

Disc golf fans can look forward to the addition of a new course in the coming years along St. Joseph Avenue, the byproduct of a much larger project looming with it.

The course will be located on a seven-acre plot of land off Northwest Parkway and just across the street from where the new Northside Splash Park, formerly Krug Pool, will open in the spring of 2026. The course is designed to be more of an entry-level amenity with nine holes as opposed to the normal 18.

“It’s extremely popular,” Chuck Kempf, director of parks, recreation and civic facilities, said of the sport. “We aren’t even completely done with the one at Hyde Park yet and people are already playing on it.”

St. Joseph has five courses spread throughout the city, including ones at Bartlett Park and Southwest Parkway, Missouri Western and Hyde Park, also called Red Bird Hills. Three of the courses are built with 18 or more holes.

Since 2017, disc golf courses across the country have nearly doubled to about 15,000, making it one of the fastest-growing recreational activities.

The new course will have a relatively flat surface with fewer obstacles due to the terrain. A small trail will be constructed through the course.

“That trail can be there to serve disc golf, but it can also be just another recreational leisure nature-type trail that people could take advantage of,” Kempf said.

Why the course was chosen was a unique result in and of itself, as formal development cannot begin until the double-decker bridge replacement project kicks off, potentially as early as 2028.

The project will result in 3.4 acres of property being acquired by the Missouri Department of Transportation in the narrow strip of Riverfront Park by the southern trailhead entrance, a part of Robidoux Landing, as the construction area will take up most of its footprint.

In 1989, the city was awarded a grant from the Missouri Department of Natural Resources to receive Land and Water Conservation Funds for the development of a park at Robidoux Landing with recreational attractions and amenities.

The recreationally designated property, which also has ties to St. Joseph’s history, will therefore require a conversion of use to another area with recreational value by Northwest Parkway, part of an agreement between the city, MoDOT and the U.S. National Parks Service.

“We’re honoring that grant funding that we received from Missouri Department of Natural Resources, that had to be maintained in some level of recreation,” Kempf said. “We looked at multiple options. Disc golf kind of rose to the upper level of that recreational value.”

The identified area of Robidoux Landing, which includes a small shelter, trail, gazebo and several history displays, has fallen into a state of disrepair due to repeated vandalism and property damage and is not functioning as a park without utility infrastructure. A large amount of park resources are often spent on corrective maintenance.

“It’s a difficult facility for us, but I think it’s also an important facility. That was occupied by the riverboat, by the original riverboat down here. That was a well-maintained area because there was a constant presence from the riverboat folks that kind of protected it,” Kempf said.

Robidoux Landing comprises the southernmost portion of the city’s Riverfront Master Plan developed in 2019. A considerable portion of planning between the city, community and MoDOT went into re-evaluating the proposed impacts of construction on long-term plans for riverfront development.

While a majority of future riverfront development is now expected to shift north near the casino and Remington Nature Center, local officials and MoDOT remain committed to enhancing and maintaining the area as a long-term recreational amenity.

“We want to make sure that area of Downtown Riverfront Park in whatever condition or state that it’s in, whatever that looks like after the I-229 project is done, that it’s still a legitimate recreational amenity,” Kempf said. “That’s still good recreation and you’ve got the river right there and you’ve got Downtown on the other side of you.”

One of MoDOT’s planned improvements includes exploring extensions of the nearby riverfront trail further south, along with improvements to the trailhead and pedestrian crossing. The nearby pedestrian bridge will not be impacted by the project.

Additional I-229 improvements for Robidoux Landing

Replace the existing Riverwalk Trail trailhead shelter with at least a compatible, if not improved structure.

Improve the pedestrian connection between Francis Street, across the BNSF Railroad tracks, to the southern trailhead.

Provide opportunities for parking in proximity to the trailhead.

Investigate options for upgrading the Riverwalk Trail south of the existing trailhead to potentially connect south of its current endpoint during the project design process.

The upcoming design phase of the project will provide more clarity on the new roadway’s footprint and how construction will impact adjacent property.

MoDOT officials estimate the project could take at least two years to complete, potentially longer. The department has already budgeted $609,000 in 2026 and 2027 for right-of-way property acquisitions and some preliminary engineering work.