Arnold Schwarzenegger, the action star and former Governor of California, recently took matters into his own hands by filling a troublesome dip in the road near his Brentwood home. Arnold, not one to sit back and just complain, shared his hands-on approach on social media, gaining massive support from his followers.
“Today, after the whole neighbourhood 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,” Arnold detailed in a post on X (formerly Twitter) last year. “I always say, let’s not complain, let’s do something about it.”
The post quickly went viral, racking up over 62k likes and nearly 11 million impressions, showcasing the widespread approval of Arnold’s proactive stance.
Potholes are notorious for wreaking havoc on California roads, with Los Angeles receiving thousands of complaints each year. But, in a quirky twist to Arnold’s DIY road repair, it turns out he actually filled in a ‘service trench’—not a pothole. This trench was intentionally placed by a utility company for ongoing work.
The city of Los Angeles was quick to clarify the situation after Arnold’s intervention, noting that the trench was part of necessary utility work by SoCal Gas. A spokesperson from the Los Angeles Department of Public Works highlighted to NBC News that the trench “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.” They added that SoCal Gas would be responsible for properly restoring the road post-project.
Despite the mix-up, SoCal Gas appreciated Arnold’s effort. They retained his makeshift repair, later reinforcing it with specialized equipment to ensure durability. “We did leave the patch that Governor Schwarzenegger applied, however, yesterday our crews went back to the site and we used special equipment to go over the patch to make it all stronger,” stated a SoCal Gas spokesperson.
Arnold wrapped up the saga with a celebratory note on social media: “Teamwork. Happy to help speed this up, and thanks to the crew for pumping up my fix.” Indeed, it’s a Hollywood ending to a hole-lotta drama!