The Terminator actor and a member of his team filled the hole on
Tuesday, in a video he posted on Twitter
Arnold
Schwarzenegger filmed himself filling two potholes in his Los Angeles
neighborhood on Tuesday, but city officials say the star's goodwill was
misplaced.
The 75-year-old Last Action Hero star and former governor of
California took charge of what he called on Twitter a "giant pothole that's
been screwing up cars and bicycles for weeks" by patching the area with
asphalt. But a spokesperson for the city told NBC Los Angeles that the area
is "not a pothole."
"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," the official told the
news station.
A spokesperson for the city did not immediately respond to
PEOPLE's request for additional comments, but a representative for
Schwarzenegger pushed back at the city's response.
"The comment I saw from the city was that they would be filling
the trench at the end of May," the contact told PEOPLE. "I'd be curious if
they truly believe the best solution was to block off one direction of
traffic for 2-3 months and force cars and bicyclists to drive the wrong way
dangerously?"
"Honestly, the city is as bad at damage control as they are at
performing basic services," they added."
Today, after the whole neighborhood has been upset about this giant pothole that’s been screwing up cars and bicycles for weeks, 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. pic.twitter.com/aslhkUShvT
— Arnold (@Schwarzenegger) April 11, 2023
In the video, Schwarzenegger — wearing his signature
Terminator glasses — and his associate used shovels to smooth over asphalt
after filling the hole, which looked to affect the bike lane of a street in
the Brentwood neighborhood.
The minute-long clip, set to a funky
70s-era guitar riff, also captured the moment a motorist slowed down and
thanked Schwarzenegger and his paving partner for their hard work.
"You have to do it yourself," the star told the woman in the
car. "This is crazy, for three weeks, I've been waiting for this hole to be
closed."
The city maintains that the gas company is continuing to work
on the area.
"As is the case with similar projects impacting city
streets, SoCal Gas will be required to repair the area once their work is
completed," the spokesperson said per NBC Los Angeles.
Additionally, a Los Angeles Department of Public Works official
pointed out to ABC-7 that Schwarzenegger's road patch won't really work,
noting that the street is made of concrete not asphalt, which he
used.
Last week at a press conference, Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass
promoted an initiative for area residents to report potholes and other
damaged roads, which have been affected by the region's harsh winter
storms.
"Our roads have been damaged by intense storms so we are
implementing an intense, proactive response when it comes to filling
potholes," she said on Twitter. "Thank you @MRodCD7 and @BSSLosAngeles for
joining me in the Valley to share our approach and encourage the use of
@MyLA311 to report potholes."
