1. A method for managing network connections implemented by a network controller, comprising: determining each potential network failure of a plurality of network failures for a first end-to-end connection in a network with a plurality of network elements; computing a plurality of nodal maps for each determined potential failure, wherein each nodal map describes cross-connections at a corresponding network element to address the network failure and each network element has multiple nodal maps each addressing a different network failure; identifying a network failure within the network; selecting, in response to identifying the network failure and for corresponding network elements of the plurality of network elements, a subset of nodal maps from the plurality of nodal maps, wherein the plurality of nodal maps is stored on the corresponding network elements of the plurality of network elements, and wherein the subset of nodal maps describes a plurality of cross-connections of the corresponding network elements to re-route a first end-to-end connection in the network due to the network failure between associated ingress ports and associated egress ports; transmitting, in response to selecting the subset of nodal maps, a plurality of activation requests to trigger the plurality of network elements to implement the subset of nodal maps; determining a plurality of individual nodal maps for a first network element among the plurality of network elements; determining that the network failure terminates a second end-to-end connection comprising the first network element; selecting, based on determining that the network failure terminates the second end-to-end connection, a nodal map from the plurality of individual nodal maps; and establishing, using the nodal map from the plurality of individual nodal maps, a third end-to-end connection comprising the first network element, wherein the plurality of nodal maps comprises a base nodal map, wherein the subset of nodal maps comprises a secondary nodal map, and wherein the second end-to-end connection and the third end-to-end connection share a first plurality of cross-connections at a second network element among the plurality of network elements as described in the base nodal map, and wherein the second network element has a second plurality of cross-connections for the second end-to-end connection that differs from a third plurality of cross-connections at the second network element for the third end-to-end connection.