Cornerstone South Interim Grading
The Work
At Cornerstone South in Grayslake, BERGER is executing a large-scale interim grading project to mitigate wetlands and prepare the site for future development. The work spans 100 acres and includes tree removal, topsoil stripping and stockpiling, mass excavation, compensatory storage basins, clay cut and fill, drain tile removals, new storm sewer, and full landscape restoration.
This project represents another opportunity to partner with the Alter Group, continuing a strong track record of collaboration across their Grayslake campus. With an average of 12 pieces of BERGER equipment running daily—including scrapers, dozers, haul trucks, and excavators—the job has been executed at scale with precision and speed.
The Challenge
The greatest challenge: wetlands with active drain tile systems and more than four feet of standing water. BERGER needed to carefully plan dewatering strategies, reroute drain tiles, and manage onsite water flow to make the land workable for mass excavation.
Complicating matters further, site preparation had to happen in a compressed timeframe. To keep momentum, BERGER mobilized quickly—coordinating with a local farmer to harvest crops while simultaneously staging and deploying a full fleet of equipment.
The Result
By self-performing the majority of the work and managing specialty trade partners directly, BERGER provided a one-stop shop, reducing client oversight and ensuring turnkey delivery. The scale of dirt movement, precision of drainage work, and efficiency of coordination all reflect BERGER’s ability to bring the right resources to the job from day one.
For the Alter Group, this project reinforced what long-time partners already know: BERGER is Always at the Ready—with the fleet, the crews, and the solutions to deliver under challenging site conditions.
