Actor and former California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger went viral this week after he tweeted a video of him filling a pothole in his Los Angeles neighborhood which he said had disturbed motorists and cyclists. the enormous pothole apparently had had been there for weeks and after residents filed numerous complaints asking the city to fill it up, Schwarzenegger grabbed a shovel and went to work.
“Today, after the whole neighborhood was turned upside down by this giant pothole that’s been messing up cars and bikes for weeks, I went out with my team and fixed it,” he said. -he declares. writing next to the video on Twitter. “I always say, let’s not complain, let’s do something about it. Here is.”
A passing driver is seen in the video shouting “Thank you!” while Schwarzenegger says, “You’re welcome.” He continues: “You have to do it yourself. It’s crazy. For three weeks, I’ve been waiting for this hole to be closed.
Contrary to Schwarzenegger’s actions and comments that the pothole has been plaguing drivers for weeks, a City of Los Angeles spokesperson said. NBC that the so-called pothole was actually a construction site. “This place is not a pothole,” the spokesperson said. “This is a service trench that relates to active and authorized work being carried out on the site by SoCal Gas, which expects work to be completed by the end of May.”
The spokesperson continued, “As with similar projects impacting city streets, SoCal Gas will be required to repair the area once its work is complete.”
Schwarzenegger’s tweet has garnered 8.5 million views at the time of writing and received many comments thanking him for taking action in a city that allegedly ignored complaints from residents.
Claims that the site was an active construction zone were disputed by a Schwarzenegger representative who questioned why an area of the street would be blocked off for so long.. “I would be curious to know if they really believe that the best solution was to block one direction of traffic for 2-3 months and force cars and cyclists to drive dangerously in the wrong direction?” the rep said People. “Honestly, the city is as bad at damage control as it is at providing basic services,” they added.
Los Angeles Mayor Karen Bass and Councilwoman Monica Rodriguez said they were rolling out plans to fix potholes across the city during a press conference last week, reported NBC News. Since December, the city has received more than 19,692 pothole repair requests and according to NBC News, as of April 6, the city has completed at least 17,549.