A given network of nodes that are interconnected by links having corresponding capacities has each link's capacity divided into working capacity and restoration capacity without a priori information about network traffic characteristics. Allocation of working capacity and restoration capacity for the network might be optimized by characterization of the network in accordance with a linear programming problem (LPP) subject to network constraints and then generating a solution to the LPP either exactly or with an approximation. Partitioning the capacity of each link in the network into working and restoration capacities minimizes the restoration capacity overhead in the network to allow for higher network utilization.