LOS ANGELES (AP) — The “huge void” that Arnold Schwarzenegger said he recently filled in a street in his Los Angeles neighborhood was actually a ditch that had been dug for utility work, according to the city.
Southern California Gas Company covered the trench with temporary asphalt that was to be replaced with permanent surface, the Los Angeles Department of Public Works said in a statement.
“We notified the gas company about the problem and the need for them to maintain the pavement at the site until the permanent pavement is built,” the statement said.
After months of heavy rains that turned roads into tire-exploding Swiss cheese for many commuters, Schwarzenegger struck a chord when he posted a video of himself and a crew filling a depression in a street with a piece of asphalt.
(Arnold Schwarzenegger’s office via AP
“Today, after the entire neighborhood was upset about this huge pothole that has been overturning cars and motorcycles for weeks, I went out with my team and fixed it,” he wrote on Chirp. “I always say, let’s not complain, let’s do something about it. There he is.”
A passing driver stopped to thank the actor, who also filled another, smaller hole.
SoCal Gas said in a statement that upgrading a pipeline system was completed on Jan. 26, but rain delayed the permanent paving, which typically takes about 30 days. Utility crews returned to the site Wednesday, a day after Schwarzenegger posted his video, and leveled the patch he had completed to make it stronger. Final paving of the site is expected to be completed on Tuesday.
“Team work. Happy to help expedite this process and thanks to the crew for fueling my case,” the former governor tweeted Friday.
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