  Using a density-functional theory plus dynamical mean-field theory
methodology, we compute the many-body electronic structure and optical
conductivity of NdNiO$_{2}$ under the influence of large scattering rates on
the Nd($5d$) bands and including dynamical interactions on the Nd($5d$)
orbitals with shifts of the Nd-Ni $d$-level energy difference. We find a robust
conducting pathway in the out-of-plane direction arising from strong
hybridization between the Ni-$d_{z^2}$ and Nd($5d$) orbitals. This pathway can
be ``short-circuited'' if this hybridization is suppressed through large
electronic scattering rates but is not reduced to zero even by very large
beyond-DFT shifts of the Nd-Ni $d$-level energy splitting. The computed
in-plane conductivity for NdNiO$_{2}$ predicts the material to be a ``good
metal'' in contrast to experiments indicating the material is a ``bad metal''
or ``weak insulator''. Our results motivate future experiments measuring the
$c$-axis resistivity as a proxy for the spectator bands and suggests the
essential difference between the infinite-layer nickelates and the cuprates is
dimensionality of their electronic structures.
