Evaluation of ramps and interchanges has historically been focused on traffic issues, and into some extent on safety problems and deficiencies of structures in interchanges. Pavements in ramps and interchanges, however, tend to deteriorate faster than in the mainline given the high traffic demand and complex manoeuvres. Highway ramps and interchanges comprise approximately five percent of the total Ontario highway system. Given the pavement extent considered, the impact on road users' safety and relevance on traffic operation, the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario (MTO) and the University of Waterloo started in 2008 a project for the development of distress guidelines and a condition rating for the evaluation of pavements in highway ramps and interchanges. The main objective of the paper is to present the development of a practical approach to perform, in a safe and effective manner, highway ramps and interchanges field surveys, data collection and pavement performance evaluations. MTO Ramps and Interchanges Distress Guidelines, suitable for the application of automated data collection technologies, were developed in the study. In addition, the MTO Ramps and Interchanges Distress Index (RDI) was defined from a complete regression analysis that correlated windshield evaluations and pavement condition surveys performed with automated technologies. The RDI equation was successfully validated with a 95% confidence level. The expression is applicable to evaluations performed with automated technology, analyzed under semi-automated and automated software. Finally, recommendations are made to perform efficient and reliable evaluations in ramps and interchanges considering the application of automated technologies.