The statue of Abune Petros, erected in 1941 in memory of the archbishop of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, moved to its temporary location on Friday, May 02, 2013. The decision to relocate the statue came after the Ethiopian Railway Corporation (ERC) began the construction of the 34Km Addis Light Rail Transit (LRT) project.

The LRT project runs in two directions. In the north-south direction, the project begins fromAdwa Square, a few hundred meters from where the statue currently stands and passes through it in an underground tunnel. After the relocation, the contractor, China Railway Group Limited (CREC), will commence digging up the area and construct concrete walls for future underpass of the city's first ever electric rail transit.