Complex sentence: The road drops down steeply to bridge a river, before rising again, with a number of sharp bends in the road--although some of the hairpin bends and other nearby gradients have been eased in recent years.
Split into simpler sentences: The road drops down steeply to bridge a river, before rising again. There are a number of sharp bends in the vicinity, although some of the hairpin bends and other nearby gradients have been eased in recent years.