A method comprising: in response to receiving by a first network device, a reply message for reserving bandwidth along a primary path for a first label switched path for carrying data traffic from an ingress network device to an egress network device, wherein the reply message comprises a Resource Reservation Protocol with Traffic Engineering extensions (RSVP-TE) RESV message that specifies a Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) label to use for sending network traffic along the first LSP, wherein the RSVP-TE RESV message includes a Record Route Object that specifies hops along the primary path for the first LSP: generating an RSVP-TE PATH message for establishing a second LSP from the first network device to a second network device along a subset of the primary path, wherein the RSVP-TE PATH message specifies an Explicit Route Object generated by the network device based on the RRO included in the received RSVP-TE RESV message; and outputting the RSVP-TE PATH message to establish the second LSP from the first network device to the second network device; wherein the first network device comprises a point of local repair along the primary path and the second network device comprises a merge point for merging rerouted data traffic from a protecting LSP back onto the first LSP along the primary path, wherein the second LSP is dedicated to carrying operations, administration and management messages to verify connectivity of the subset of the primary path; forwarding data traffic received at the first network device to a next hop along the primary path, wherein the forwarded data traffic is encapsulated with a first label associated with the first LSP; and outputting, by the first network device, an OAM message to a next hop along the second LSP to verify connectivity of at least one protected resource along the subset of the primary path, wherein the OAM message is encapsulated with a second label associated with the second LSP. in response to receiving by a first network device, a reply message for reserving bandwidth along a primary path for a first label switched path for carrying data traffic from an ingress network device to an egress network device, wherein the reply message comprises a Resource Reservation Protocol with Traffic Engineering extensions (RSVP-TE) RESV message that specifies a Multiprotocol Label Switching (MPLS) label to use for sending network traffic along the first LSP, wherein the RSVP-TE RESV message includes a Record Route Object that specifies hops along the primary path for the first LSP: generating an RSVP-TE PATH message for establishing a second LSP from the first network device to a second network device along a subset of the primary path, wherein the RSVP-TE PATH message specifies an Explicit Route Object generated by the network device based on the RRO included in the received RSVP-TE RESV message; and outputting the RSVP-TE PATH message to establish the second LSP from the first network device to the second network device; generating an RSVP-TE PATH message for establishing a second LSP from the first network device to a second network device along a subset of the primary path, wherein the RSVP-TE PATH message specifies an Explicit Route Object generated by the network device based on the RRO included in the received RSVP-TE RESV message; and outputting the RSVP-TE PATH message to establish the second LSP from the first network device to the second network device; wherein the first network device comprises a point of local repair along the primary path and the second network device comprises a merge point for merging rerouted data traffic from a protecting LSP back onto the first LSP along the primary path, wherein the second LSP is dedicated to carrying operations, administration and management messages to verify connectivity of the subset of the primary path; forwarding data traffic received at the first network device to a next hop along the primary path, wherein the forwarded data traffic is encapsulated with a first label associated with the first LSP; and outputting, by the first network device, an OAM message to a next hop along the second LSP to verify connectivity of at least one protected resource along the subset of the primary path, wherein the OAM message is encapsulated with a second label associated with the second LSP.