South Pole Traverse

The South Pole Traverse, also called the South Pole Overland Traverse (SPoT), or McMurdo–South Pole Highway is an approximately 995-mile-long (1,601 km) flagged route over compacted snow and ice in Antarctica that links McMurdo Station on the coast to the Amundsen–Scott South Pole Station, both operated by the National Science Foundation of the United States. It was constructed by levelling snow and filling in crevasses; flags mark its route from McMurdo Station across the Ross Ice Shelf to the Leverett Glacier, where the route ascends to the polar plateau and on to the South Pole. It was constructed between 2002 and end of 2005, when it opened for the first time; it has gained several names and has been called the southernmost road in the world.

Although the South Pole base is about a three-hour flight by LC-130 from McMurdo, the overland traverse can deliver massive amounts of cargo including 75,000 US gallons (280,000 L) of fuel and 20,000 pounds (9,100 kg) of cargo each year. These are carried by land trains (aka convoys) of tracked haulers and sleds. The road also supports polar plateau research camps as well as record breaking attempts. The road passes through two glacial shear zones, which are prone to dangerous crevasses; this results in ongoing maintenance with ground-penetrating radar to check for new crevasses and fill them in.

The opening of the traverse meant the south pole base was freed from the weight and size restrictions of aircraft transport as well as freeing up aircraft for additional research. Tracked vehicles could haul things like telescopes or bulk fuel shipments on the overland route.