Could a firm opening date for the Silver Line be on the horizon soon? That could be the case.

During a conference call last week, WMATA said that some delays on completing punch list items from Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority contractor Bechtel could cause delays in Metro hitting their late July target date for opening the Silver Line. But during today’s conference call, Metro General Manager Richard Sarles said he felt more confident that the Silver Line would open within the 90-day deadline set when Metro took control on May 27. “We are in the final stretch [of completing the punch items],” Sarles said. “If the work is done this week, then I will feel confident.”

Still, Sarles did not give a firm date as to when the Silver Line will start simulation service—which it plans to do a week before opening it to the public—but said he hopes to announce the date next week.

But the biggest news to come out of today’s Silver Line update concerns the bus routes affected by the new Metro line. Since there will be no permanent parking lots at each of the four Tyson’s Corner stations and the Reston station, Metro is partnering up with Fairfax Connector to provide bus service to and from each station. Moreover, the existing Metrobus routes in that area will be “restructured to facilitate access to the new Silver Line stations.” Although the new Metrobus routing hasn’t been released yet, Metro says riders will need to familiarize themselves with the new bus routes once they’re released.

Although the Silver Line will eventually stretch all the way to Dulles Airport, the last station ends in Reston, at the Wiehle-Reston East stop. From there, service to Dulles will be provided by Metrobus (route 5A), Fairfax Connector (route 981), and the Washington Flyer once Silver Line service begins.