Abstract: Rapid restoration of a telecommunication path between network nodes after an interrupting network link failure utilizes a distributed system of selective flooding for dynamically reconfiguring the internodal path in a manner which will ensure the most economical use of intermediate links. A help message transmitted from one of the terminating nodes to each contiguous neighboring node requests use of the uncommitted bandwidth of each respective link. This wave of messages is propagated selectively, along paths having maximum available bandwidth and least number of links, through the network by each successive receiving node until the help message reaches the other terminating node of the failed link. An acknowledgement message returned to the initial terminating node via propagation links offering the maximum bandwidth establishes a reconfigured path providing the greatest bandwidth recovery.