For months, Bill Gates waited patiently for something to be done about the dusty road conditions on Cleveland Gibbs Road.

Friday, he saw the transformation first hand.

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Residents and business owners on Cleveland Gibbs Road have been complaining about the dusty road for years, but Northlake has done little to improve it. The town was able to work out a deal with Devon Energy, which has a gas well near the road, to top the road with recycled asphalt.

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Construction crews resurfaced the dirt road with recycled asphalt as part of a verbal agreement with Devon Energy, which has a gas well in the area, Northlake Town Administrator Drew Corn said.

Under the agreement, Devon Energy agreed to pay for the cost of the materials and labor to resurface the road, said Alesha Leemaster, a spokeswoman for the energy company. The cost of the project is estimated between $25,000 to $50,000, Corn said.

The agreement at least dulls the complaints from residents and business owners about the dusty road, but residents are concerned the road will deteriorate unless more is done.

“It is going to be OK for a little while, but it isn’t going to last,” Gates said. “A good rain could wash away a lot of it. It is going to take a little more material to get something that can be maintained and stay there.”

Corn said the material is adequate, and through time, the weight and volume of trucks will compact the surface. The town will continue to maintain the road’s surface with a grader, he said.

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A piece of heavy machinery creates a cloud of dust on Cleveland Gibbs Road.

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“From what we have heard and seen, it will be a better driving surface and significantly reduce the dust,” Corn said.

For years, the road has been a sore spot for residents who have complained about the dust, but town, county and state officials have done little to alleviate the problem, primarily because of financial constraints.

Before the agreement with Devon, Northlake officials said they did not have the money to resurface the road, and they questioned whether they should do it for residents who don’t pay taxes.

More than 11 years ago, the area was de-annexed from Northlake, but the aging road remained under the town’s control. The town was trying to work with the county to fix the road, but those plans were more long-term solutions.

However, those plans are years away, Denton County Com­missioner Andy Eads said, and they call for the road to be relocated outside of Northwest Regional Airport. The current road snakes its way through the airport. 

DAN X. McGRAW can be reached at 940-566-6875. His e-mail address is dmcgraw@dentonrc.com .