Restorable paths in an information network are established in response to arriving traffic requests. Requests are received at a first node of the network for transmission of traffic to a second node of the network, and each request specifies a desired transmission bandwidth for an active and a backup path to be established between the nodes. Potential active links for an active path are identified in response to a given request, and potential backup links to form a backup path for restoring the active path, are also identified in response to the given request. An active and a backup path are then formulated for each given request from among the potential active links and the potential backup links that were identified in response to the given request.