Arnold Schwarzenegger was exercising his civic duty when he took it upon himself to fill a “giant” pothole in his neighbourhood. Now, city officials have said it wasn’t a pothole at all.
On 11 April, the former Los Angeles governor shared a video of himself filling in what he described as a “giant pothole that’s been screwing up cars and bicycles for weeks” outside his Brentwood home. “I went out with my team and fixed it. I always say, let’s not complain, let’s do something about it. Here you go,” he tweeted.
The video, set to funky music, showed the Terminator star and his friends using shovels to patch up the troublesome area with asphalt. At one point, a driver stopped and thanked Schwarzenegger for taking action. “You have to do it yourself. This is crazy. For three weeks I’ve been waiting for this hole to be closed,” the actor replied.
However, a spokesperson for the Los Angeles Department of Public Works has said that the supposed pothole was actually an essential service trench being used by the utility company, Southern California Gas Company, in the Brentwood area.
“This location is not a pothole,” the department told NBC News. “It’s a service trench that relates to active, permitted work being performed at the location by SoCal Gas, who expects the work to be completed by the end of May.”
“As is the case with similar projects impacting City streets, SoCal Gas will be required to repair the area once their work is completed.”
Meanwhile, the LA-based gas company told ABC-7 that Schwarzenegger’s makeshift patch won’t really work either, noting that the street is actually made of concrete and not asphalt.
Daniel Ketchell, a spokesperson for Schwarzenegger, said Brentwood residents made repeated requests for repairs since winter storms opened up potholes and cracks on local roads.
Last week, Los Angeles mayor Karen Bass announced a plan to address what she called an unprecedented number of damaged streets across the city. According to the Bureau of Street Services, the department has received 19,692 service requests for repairs since 30 December. Crews had filled at least 17,549 potholes, officials told NBC News.
Despite Schwarzenegger filling in the active service trench, fans still praised the Total Recall star for the neighbourly gesture. “Love to see it, former Gov out fixing potholes,” tweeted one person, while another made the fitting joke: “Arnold Schwarzenegger, the Tarminator.”
Last year, fellow celebrity Rod Stewart also filled in potholes near his home “because no one can be bothered to do it.” The 78-year-old singer shared videos of himself shovelling gravel outside his Essex estate as he complained about the damage the pothole could do to his Ferrari.
“People are bashing their cars up,” he said. “The other day, there was an ambulance with a burst tyre. My Ferrari can’t go through here at all.”
The Independent has contacted Arnold Schwarzenegger and the Los Angeles Department of Public Works for comment.
Additional reporting by the AP.
