The Askaryan Radio Array: Status and Performance

Ultra high energy neutrinos could be most efficiently detected in dense, radio frequency transparent media via the Askaryan effect. The Askaryan Radio Array is a new ultra high energy neutrino detector which will encompass a fiducial area of 100 square kilometers of the deep radio transparent ice near the South Pole. A ``Testbed'' and the first three clusters of antennae (out of 37 planned) have been installed to date. The primary science goal is the discovery of the cosmogenic neutrinos and measurement of the flux. We report on the science, design, and performance of this instrument, along with the prospects for completion of the detector construction.