Complex sentence: In 1987, two spans of the New York State Thruway collapsed, and on August 27,2011, the covered Old Blenheim Bridge collapsed due to flooding from Hurricane Irene.
Split into simpler sentences: In 1987, two spans of the New York State Thruway collapsed. On August 27,2011, the covered Old Blenheim Bridge collapsed due to flooding from Hurricane Irene.