Arnold Schwarzenegger thought that he was performing a generous act of civil improvement when he and his crew filled a pothole in the LA neighborhood of Brentwood earlier this week. Unfortunately, the “pothole” ended up being a service trench used by the local gas company.
The actor and former California governor posted a video of the repairs on what he said was a “giant pothole” in Brentwood. After months of rain, it was a reasonable assumption that the damaged road might have been a neglected pothole, especially after numerous complaints from local residents.
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,” Schwarzenegger tweeted. “I always say, let’s not complain, let’s do something about it. Here you go.
The video shows Schwarzenegger and several others diligently filling the trench as a passing motorist stopped to thank them. This well-intentioned act of community service might not last for long, since the trench served a purpose.
This location is not a pothole,” a spokesperson for the Los Angeles Department of Public Works told NBCLA. “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.
Keith Mozee, executive director and general manager of the Bureau of Street Services, told the LA Times last week, that the department has received 19,642 pothole repair requests since Dec. 30. About 17,459 of those requests have been completed.
Though it might be tempting to help out, it’s best to leave the road repair work to the professionals.