US essential public infrastructure will be renewed, no question. Because otherwise it won’t work or will fall down, a reality-based fact that a Pittsburgh bridge apparently decided to remind us about last week.

The real question is whether or not the rebuilt projects will include innovative approaches to climatic, environmental and social issues.

The answer to that depends on an even realer question: How to pay for the additional cost? Sure, almost everybody agrees on the ESG objectives. But there’s much less consensus paying to achieve them. That creates a strong bias for a minimal cost, business-as-usual approach just to get the job done. The community needs this bridge now, right? Hard to argue with that.

One way out of this conundrum, I think, is to address the heart of the matter — the universal issue of paying for stuff — before rebuilding decisions are forced to be made. If you want innovative approaches to be included in essential public infrastructure, you’ll need to have innovative approaches to funding and financing it in order to achieve a consensus quickly. Not theoretical or legislative aspirations. But on the shelf, in sufficient scale and ready to go.

It’s probably too late for this Pittsburgh bridge. But don’t worry — efforts to develop innovative funding and financing won’t be wasted. Plenty more stories like this to come.